Table for two
by amber-goddess
Summary: Data might be dead, but his best friend still orders him a drink every Thursday in Ten Forward...


Disclaimer: I own nothing.  
  
Authors note: After watching Star Trek Nemesis, I was kind of upset that the writers seemed to forget that Geordie and Data were best friends. Data's death should have affected him more than anybody, and yet their friendship was barely even mentioned. And so for that disappointment, this fic was born. Enjoy!  
  
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Geordie LaForge was a man of habit. Despite his laid-back demeanour, he - like most engineers - was at his most comfortable when following a set routine. Nothing too meticulously organised...after all, he liked his work to keep him on his toes...but a few daily rituals here and there gave him a certain sense of reassurance that he would have otherwise lacked.  
  
...Today was Thursday (earth-time) and, like on any Thursday evening, Geordie was sitting in Ten Forward.  
  
The original Ten Forward had perished along with the Enterprise-C, but the bar had become something of a tradition among the various star-ships to bare the Enterprise name. Madam Guinan was still there - apparently having become something of a permanent fixture - and the synthahol was still as good as ever. In many ways, Geordie supposed, things hadn't changed at all.  
  
And yet...  
  
Sitting at his usual table by the window, Geordie gave a distracted sigh, the familiar buzz of conversation surrounding him like a subtle tide. As always, the bar was crowded and busy, the various off-duty crew members sitting in friendly groups and chatting amongst themselves. Geordie would have been welcome to join any of the tables...he was a popular and well- respected member of the crew...but tonight, as he did habitually every Thursday, he chose to sit alone.  
  
Always alone.  
  
"Same again?"  
  
Drawn from his ravine, Geordie frowned and looked upward. "I'm sorry?" he asked, taking a moment to register what had been said.  
  
Guinan stood opposite him, head tilted questioningly to one side. In the fourteen or so years that Geordie had known her, she had yet to age a day. Her face was as timeless and unchanging as it ever was...dark eyes glinting playfully.  
  
Resting one hand on the empty chair across from Geordie, Guinan gestured towards his empty drink. "I asked if you wanted the same order again. You've been staring at that glass for the past twenty minutes."  
  
The blind man gave a start of surprise. He hadn't realised that it had been that long.  
  
"Err...yeah...yeah, same again please. Thanks."  
  
Guinan watched him closely for a long moment. "Both drinks, or just one?"  
  
At first Geordie did not understand what it was that she was asking. He hesitated, eyebrows drawing together in a confused scowl. Then, suddenly, it hit him.  
  
He cleared his throat and quickly looked away. "Both drinks please, if you don't mind."  
  
A small smile of understanding passed over Guinan's darkly painted lips. "You know, there are some people who would think that it's a little odd to order a drink for a friend who isn't there."  
  
A deep flush of embarrassment coloured Geordie's cheeks. It was the same every Thursday - he'd come in, chose an empty table, and order two drinks...one for him, and one for Data. Except of course, Data never drank his. He never even showed up.  
  
"Do you think that it's odd?" he questioned her, a quiet challenge evident in his tone.  
  
Guinan shrugged. "No. Actually, I think that it's kinda sweet."  
  
Geordie's eyes were hidden behind the ever-present visor, but Guinan felt his gaze turn towards her all the same. "I miss him," he admitted softly.  
  
The woman's smile took on a slightly sad quality. She gave a slow nod...not a gesture of sympathy, but one of support. "You were his best friend," she assured him, voice low and considering. "It's only natural that you feel that way."  
  
Geordie gave a hollow sigh of despair. "But it's been months...why isn't this getting any easier?"  
  
"Who says that it ever will?"  
  
Geordie glanced up at her sharply, surprised by what she had said. In the time since he had lost Data, he'd heard every sentiment from 'time is a healer' to 'life goes on'...but he'd never been told that his pain would never go away. Deep down, he realised that what Guinan said was probably the truth. Even if he lived to be three hundred, he'd always miss Data...and he'd always order two drinks on Thursday nights.  
  
Apparently satisfied that her work was done, Guinan walked around the table to squeeze the engineer on the shoulder. "I think I'm gonna go and get those drinks," she murmured. He heard her footsteps move away from him, leaving him once more to his solitude.  
  
Almost unconsciously, he picked up his empty glass and ran his fingers absently over the rim. An untouched Turrilian Vodka sat opposite him...in the place where Data would have once occupied.  
  
And now...as ever...Geordie's thoughts took him back to when his best friend had still been alive.  
  
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"Geordie, may I ask you a question?"  
  
"Sure Data, what is it?"  
  
"I am afraid that I do not understand why you invited me down to Ten Forward. Would it not be more advisable to use our free-time in order to work on the problems with the Power Relays in the hola-deck?"  
  
"Data, we've been working on that for almost eight hours...we deserve a break."  
  
"I am an android. I do not require rest of any kind."  
  
"Maybe not, but fixing Power Relays isn't my idea of a good time. Wouldn't you rather come down here and have some fun instead of being cooped up in engineering all day?"  
  
"But I do not require fun either."  
  
"Well I do...and I wouldn't have as much fun if I was down here alone would I?"  
  
"Then...then my presence provides you with companionship?"  
  
"Yeah. I mean, that's what friends do isn't it?"  
  
"...We are friends?"  
  
"Yes Data, we're friends."  
  
"...Nobody has ever referred to me as their friend before. ...Thank you Geordie."  
  
"You're welcome Data."  
  
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End file.
